The name of Kathryn Tickell is synonymous with Northumbria. The English composer, performer, educator, and successful recording artist is widely regarded as being one of the greatest living exponents of the Northumbrian smallpipes, a melodious, bellows-blown bagpipe. The music that she creates comes immersed in the history and landscapes of that beautiful part of the world.
This evening she is in West Yorkshire on the penultimate date of her current UK tour as Kathryn Tickell & the Darkening, a band that she formed some four years ago. Tickell is clearly delighted to be back playing live with other musicians in front of an audience, the enforced absence of which during the pandemic had reinforced to her the importance of such an interaction upon both atmosphere and performance.
For all that Kathryn Tickell’s music is born of the North East of England – perhaps most notably with the Darkening that stretch of land alongside Hadrian’s Wall as experienced during Roman times– the sphere of influence stretches far beyond those parameters. As the evening unfolds, Kathryn Tickell & the Darkening travel from Co. Durham to Cambridgeshire, the Shetland Isles to Syria and across wholly different eras and time zones to bring us what is a hugely diverse and totally compelling performance.
They do, however, begin on Northumberland’s home soil with two tunes from that area, both steeped in tradition – one featuring Mary Queen of Scots – yet rhythmically relocated to the present day. Local landmarks Lindisfarne and Hermitage Castle also feature; the peace and tranquillity of the Holy Island are replaced sonically as the song develops by the fevered anxiety of having to beat the changing tide, whilst the ancient border guardhouse appears in a cloak of sinister darkness.
A cautionary tale from the Fens – on which Stef Conner sings the words collected by English composer Vaughan Williams – is underpinned by the malevolent drone of Kathryn Tickell’s Northumbrian pipes, a sound not a million miles removed from that achieved by John Cale on those early Velvet Underground albums.
Kathryn Tickell recites a poem written by her father “for that lass on the telly” (Greta Thunberg), before the three female voices – Tickell, Conner, and Amy Thatcher – dovetail in glorious harmony reflecting the colours and textures of Autumn as they do so. The ensuing dance tune ‘The New Rigged Ship’ is a lively counterpoint.
In the second half of the show Kathryn Tickell & the Darkening move into “the Roman Wall segment of the evening” as Tickell shares with us some of the fascinating history of that defensive fortification built nearly 2000 years ago and the, perhaps surprising, many multi-cultural aspects of life surrounding it.
‘Hymn to Nemesis’, the traditional Northumbrian tune ‘Snowy Monday’ (written by fiddle player, Willy Taylor), ‘The Hesleyside Reel’, and ‘The Warksburn Waltz’ – during which Amy Thatcher cut a truly wonderful clog dance rug – further illustrate the versatility, vibrancy, and sheer vitality of this supreme musical outfit.
Kathryn Tickell & the Darkening end with a towering ‘O-U-T Spells Out’, the opening track from their debut album, 2019’s Hollowbone. Not about Brexit, as was rather horrifyingly thought by some at the time of the record’s release, but more reassuringly depicting a series of children’s games, it is a glorious song of freedom during which the band lay down a tremendously heavy, almost hard rock vibe. It is a fantastic finale to a truly great show.
Photos: Simon Godley
More photos of Kathryn Tickell & the Darkening at Howard Assembly Room, Leeds
